


Early Bird

by Estrella3791



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I Tried, I love Bucky, I'm just saying that to make myself feel better, I'm not sure if that counts as a trigger, PTSD, and adorable, and awkward, and really really gorgeous, bucky is protective, but Bucky is cute anyway, but not really, i should have slept instead of writing, i think I'll stop talking now, so are you, so do you, sorry about that, violence is only briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-21 10:30:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10683459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrella3791/pseuds/Estrella3791
Summary: You get up early in the morning, without fail. So, unbeknownst to you, does Bucky.





	Early Bird

**Author's Note:**

> The subtitle for this is 'I was in public and very, very bored.' If you are looking for quality writing, go fish. BUT if you want to stick around, I'd love to have you read this! Both you and Bucky are probably pretty out of character. Oops. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll stop talking for real now. 
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

You could kill your alarm clock right now, and you wouldn't even feel guilty. 

You've been living in the Avenger's new compound for almost two years. 

It's four thirty in the morning, and it's also the day after a mission.

Everyone is absolutely exhausted, including you.

Taking down a leftover HYDRA base takes a lot out of you - especially if said HYDRA base had some crazy advanced technology that kept the super soldiers out of the base. So you and Natasha ended up taking them down on your own. (Clint was back at the compound recuperating from a gunshot wound, so while you and Natasha were being awesome and getting rid of the bad guys, he was sitting on the sofa watching Sherlock. Just a LITTLE unfair, but you guess that he earned it, because in all honesty he deserved a break.) While you were doing that, Bucky and Steve were keeping anyone from either leaving or entering, and there had been a lot of traffic once HYDRA realized that the Avengers were taking down their base.

Long story short, everyone is totally drained. 

So why are you waking up at 4 freaking o' clock in the morning?

Well, it's a long story. The short version is that you've been through a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Like, kidnapping and getting tortured and experimented on and being in an explosion and getting weather-related powers that you couldn't control for the longest time and then getting taken in by SHIELD and finally learning to control them and then joining the Avengers and now risking your life on a regular basis, a lot. And ever since the kidnapping, you've been on your guard 24/7. Sleep is a good thing, you know, but it's also a lot of hours that you're vulnerable and off your guard. So, regardless of how late you went to bed last night or how tired you are, you always get up by four thirty at the latest. 

This particular morning, though, you're getting a lot of resistance from your body, which is not super into this whole "stay awake all the time" thing. However, if there's one thing you've learned, it's how to push through pain of any kind, and so you swing your legs over the side of the bed and stand up.

Being on your guard does not mean that you have to be dressed, though, and so you wander down the stairs, careful to be as quiet as possible. You're very considerate; you know that everyone's really tired and you don't want to wake anyone up.

A clanging from downstairs tells you that Tony didn't go to bed last night, and you shake your head at him as you open the sliding door that leads out to the patio.

This is one of your favorite places to be, whether you're curling up in one of the cushioned chairs with a book or napping on the sofa that was set out there at your request or just watching life on the Compound bustle about and contemplating your own.

Now, you're leaning against the railing and watching the sun send the first streaks of pink across the sky. Okay, so you're also kind of maybe thinking about a certain super soldier.

You met Bucky after everyone else, because while they were Civil Warring you were being kidnapped and poked with really sharp sticks. Unfortunately, that meant they everyone witnessed the panic attack that happened when your first meeting did. Something about him had triggered a memory of the guy that had tortured you, and you had promptly freaked out, and that had scared him, and him being scared had scared everyone else.

Long story short, it was a very dramatic couple of days.

But then he had timidly approached you in the living room while you were scrolling through your newsfeed and tentatively apologized for scaring you. The guilt and shame in his voice had made you melt inside, and from that day forward the two of you had been the best of friends.

Somewhere along the line, though, you had somehow jumped from 'just friends and happy that way' to wanting more. You carefully covered your feelings, something that you'd become pretty skilled at in the past, and now you go through life happy and yet restless.

You'd think that being able to be so close to Bucky would make it a little more bearable, but it doesn't. His proximity kind of torments you, especially since you can't even stare at him. You know that if you did, he'd notice in a heartbeat. He is a trained assassin, after all. And so you mosey through life, longing for something that you know you'll never have.

You think about the way that his hair is messy in the mornings, the way that his eyes sparkle and his voice...

"Morning," someone says behind you, and you whirl around and, out of reflex, go to smack them in the face. Before your hand actually makes contact, though, a cold metal grip wraps around your wrist and you find yourself staring into some clear blue eyes. 

Feeling a little sheepish, and trying to calm your breathing and heart rate (both rocketed the moment you heard Bucky's voice), you duck your head and say, "Morning."

When you look back at him, he's wearing a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" he asks, and you nod, feeling even more ridiculous.

"Oh, yeah. I just... Um..."

He looks you in the eyes, waiting for you to finish speaking, and you feel completely distracted and wonder vaguely how anyone remembers how to use the English language around him. When it becomes clear that you're not going to say anything, he takes initiative.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asks as he releases your arm, and the genuine worry in his eyes makes you melt a little bit.

"No," you say.

"Then why are you up so early?" he questions, and you sigh.

"Um... I sometimes get a little..." you stammer, wondering how to phrase the real reason that you're awake right now. You've never had to explain this. It's stressful.

"It's okay," Bucky says, sensing your discomfort. "If you don't want to tell me..."

"No!" you splutter, interrupting him, and he looks at you, thoroughly confused. You feel even more embarrassed and awkward and wonder how to say this. "I... I want you to know," you admit, to your own surprise as much as Bucky's. You've never shared a lot about your past - not willingly, anyway.

"You really don't have to tell me," Bucky says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't want you to feel... um..."

"Yeah," you say, "but it's okay. I... maybe it'll be good for me to tell someone..."

Bucky's head snaps up, and he looks... is he _angry _?__

__

__"Tell someone what?" he asks, sounding both concerned and upset. "Is anyone bothering you? You're not being... No one's bothering you, are they?" You just stare at him for a moment, feeling overwhelmed and flattered by the intensity of his protectiveness toward you. He takes your silence for affirmation, and says, "Oh, gosh. What's his name? Where does he live? When I'm done..."_ _

__

__The fire in his voice wakes you up from your processing, and you put a hand on his arm, calming him down._ _

__

__"It's fine, Buck. No one is bothering me."_ _

__

__He breathes in deeply, and when he lets it out he looks much happier._ _

__

__"Thank goodness. You'd tell me if someone was, right?"_ _

__

__You nod, feeling more smitten than ever by the way that he's so concerned about you, and say, "You know everything about me. You're my best friend. There's no way that I'd let someone do that to me without telling you."_ _

__

__"Good," he says, and then you both fall silent for a while before he remembers that he asked you a question._ _

__

__"So why are you up so early? Are you okay? Do you need to..."_ _

__

__"I'm _fine _," you insist firmly, and his shoulders slump and you feel guilty for sounding so harsh. "Look. I'm really okay. I can take care of myself. I just... I like getting up early, you know? It lets me keep an eye on things, and I can know exactly what's happening. I don't... I don't like feeling vulnerable."___ _

___ _

___Bucky's expression softens, and he nods slowly._ _ _

___ _

___"I understand. That... that makes sense."_ _ _

___ _

___"Yeah," you say. "And, Bucky..." You pause, wondering if it's really appropriate to say this. But then he looks at you enquiringly and you take a deep breath. "I really appreciate you looking out for me like that. It's... nice."_ _ _

___ _

___You smile at him, and a blush creeps up his neck. You wonder why, and then a sudden idea creeps into your mind and you feel a wild surge of hope. Everything is quiet for a minute, and then he speaks._ _ _

___ _

___"About that..."_ _ _

___ _

___"Yeah?" You look at him expectantly, biting your lip, and he groans and hides his face in his hands. The sudden movement makes you jump._ _ _

___ _

___"Why is this so hard?" he mutters, muffled by his hands, and you let out a breathy laugh, feeling like you've been used as a welcome mat by an elephant. Does he like you? What's happening?_ _ _

___ _

___"I'm not sure," you say. "You know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He looks up at you, and there's a fiery determination in his eyes that makes you shiver involuntarily._ _ _

___ _

___"No, I want to," he says. "I just..." He takes a deep breath, like he's preparing to cannonball into a pool, and then spits out the words so quickly that you can barely understand him. "You'reamazingandIreallylikeyouinfactIthinkIloveyousoyeah."_ _ _

___ _

___You take a moment to translate what he just said. When you meet his eyes, he's looking more nervous than you've ever seen him look, but there's also the relief that everyone feels after getting something big off of their chest. You're speechless for a moment - Bucky likes you? Really? Even though... really? - but then he looks defeated and starts to turn away, and you shriek, "STOP!" at the top of your lungs. He jumps, and turns around, and you breathe, "Thank goodness," and he looks at you - _really _looks at you, and his eyes widen in realization. You both stand there staring at each other, him just looking stunned, you with a stupid grin on your face, for a moment. And then he crosses the distance between you in one step and grabs you and crushes your lips with his.___ _ _

___ _

___You haven't had a lot of kisses in your life, and there were definitely none like this. You can't breathe, because his mouth is covering yours, but you don't really want to, because right now Bucky seems much more important than breathing. His hands started around your waist but now they're rubbing up and down your back and roaming over your arms and twisting in your hair, like he needs to make sure that you're still there. Your hands are wrapped securely around his neck, because you're worried that if they weren't you'd fall over. He's stirring up feelings that you never knew you could have, and you think that you're melting, and you never want him to stop._ _ _

___ _

___But, eventually, you need oxygen, and so does he. He breaks the kiss and you both stare at each other, panting for breath. You're both completely silent for approximately thirty seconds, and then you both start gushing words like audio that's been sped up._ _ _

___ _

___"You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful, I love you," he says, pulling you close, while you're whispering, "Bucky, Bucky, James, I love you," at the same time._ _ _

___ _

___For a while you stay like that - his arms wrapped around you and holding you against him so that you're wrapped in the best and warmest and safest hug you've ever had, and your arms are around his waist, just in case he loosens his embrace just a fraction. You don't think that the moment could be any more perfect._ _ _

___ _

___But, as perfect moments always are, this one is brief, and it's you that spoils the moment by letting out a huge yawn. He chuckles and rests his cheek against the top of your head._ _ _

___ _

___"Tired?" he asks, and you can _feel _his voice rumbling in his chest, and you don't even try to lie.___ _ _

___ _

___"Yeah," you tell him, "but I don't want to walk."_ _ _

___ _

___He laughs again, and you look up at him. He's so radiant that he's practically glowing, and you feel your heart swell with love for him._ _ _

___ _

___"Well, luckily," he says, looping an arm around your upper back and under your legs, "I know this guy that's really strong and amazing." And he swoops you off your feet and you let out a little shriek and grab at his shoulders as he starts carrying you bridal style toward your room. You lean your head against his chest and hum in contentment._ _ _

___ _

___When he comes to your room, he shoulders the door open and carefully lays you down on your bed. You smile at him as he tucks you in, brow furrowed in careful concentration._ _ _

___ _

___When you're thoroughly tucked in, you loop your arms around his neck and pull him down for another kiss. You smile against his lips, feeling happier than you have in a long time, and he smiles back before breaking the kiss._ _ _

___ _

___"Come on," you say, and pat the bed beside you. He raises his eyebrows._ _ _

___ _

___"Are you sure?" he asks tentatively, and you roll your eyes at him._ _ _

___ _

___"We're just sleeping, doofus," you remind him, and he smiles sheepishly._ _ _

___ _

___"Just making sure," he says defensively, pulling off his sneakers and sliding under the covers beside you._ _ _

___ _

___"I know," you hum, leaning your head against his chest. "You're such a gentleman."_ _ _

___ _

___"It's a bit old-fashioned, isn't it?" he asks ruefully, and you shake your head, closing your eyes._ _ _

___ _

___"You're absolutely perfect," you say. "Don't ever change."_ _ _

___ _

___He smiles at you, and you smile at him, and you drift off into dreamland with a metal arm draped across your shoulders._ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you liked it! If you feel so inclined, let me know what you thought, but don't feel pressured. 
> 
> Have a great rest of your day!


End file.
